Dax Harwood Says Family Is More Important Than Money With New Contract, Talks Missing Daughter’s Milestones

On the newest edition of the FTR Podcast, Dax Harwood responded to recent comments by Bryan Alvarez claiming the contract status of Dax and Cash Wheeler was a “work.” Part of Dax’s response highlighted what was most important to him in the new contract: family over money. Excerpts follow.

Dax on his transparency not being about playing companies: “Here’s the thing about all that, with Alvarez. I’ve told you multiple times, dude. I’ve told the world, multiple times. We are weighing our options. What do to next. Never have I ever tried to say ‘oh, who’s going to get FTR first? Is it gonna be WWF? Is it gonna be AEW?’ Never have we said that. I’m talking about on television or any other kind of media outlet. We’ve never said ‘oh, who’s going to get us.’ I’ve always said we’re not trying to play one company against the other company. All that I’ve gotta do, and Cash is following with me because, dude, he’s an incredible human being, is I’m weighing my options for my family. I’m weighing what’s best for me, for my family.”

On the family milestones and events he has missed: “There was a period of time, man, for six years, where I left my daughter, and my wife even longer than that, I left them every single week to fend for themselves, to stay by themselves. Most of the time in a state that had no family, and no friends, but I had to leave and I came home for a day and a half a week. And that was it. I missed my daughter’s first first dance recital. I missed her losing her first tooth. I missed so many gymnastic meets. I missed so much stuff. I missed birthdays.”

On spending time with his family being more important than money: “And now this, Alvarez thinks he’s this fucking smart guy? But there’s more to life than what you see in the wrestling bubble. All I’ve said is I’m weighing my options for my career according to my career according to my family, not if WWE’s going to give me two million dollars a year, not if AEW is going to give 2.1 million dollars a year. I don’t give a shit about who can offer me more money. What I give a shit about is how I’m going to make my wife and my daughter feel the time I get to spend with them. My daughter would cry every time I went to the airport when I worked for WWE, because I was gone all the time and all she knew was dad’s leaving. That’s all. She only knew dad was leaving. She didn’t understand that dad’s leaving for work, so he can provide for me. He can provide a better life for me. Y’know what I’m saying? All she knew is I’m leaving. And now I’m trying to make that up to her.”

On hard times and having now done pretty good for himself: “And Alvarez is gonna question me and my motives as far as wrestling? I’ve said it a million times. I’m a five-foot-something Southerner with a shitty body, and I have this accent, and somehow I’ve done alright for myself, okay? I’ve done pretty damn good for myself. I remember a time I had negative three hundred and twenty-seven dollars in my bank account. My wife woke me up at five in the morning, working for WWE, we had negative three hundred and twenty-seven dollars in our bank account. The very next day, I owed rent. The very next day I owed rent. I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night. How was I gonna put diapers on my kid’s ass? How was I gonna feed my family? Now, fast forward to 2023, I think I’ve done pretty good.

On performing for his family and the fans, not dirtsheets: “And so when I’m weighing my options, I’m telling my fans. I’m not living for Alvarez. I’m living for what’s going to make me happy. And what’s gonna make me happy, is making sure my wife and my daughter are taken care of. And they know, at the end of the day, that everything I did in my life, in my career, was for them and nobody else. I love the fans. And what I do out there every single week, I got a big three-inch needle stuck between the joint of my knee to put liquid cartilage in there for three more months so I can perform for them. Not for you, Alvarez. I don’t give a shit, dude.”

If using any of the above quotations, please credit FTR h/t 411mania for the transcription.